A yogurt lover’s dream: thick water
buffalo yogurt from Bufala Di Vermont is
richer and sweeter than yogurt from cow,
sheep or goat milk. And it’s much easier
to digest.

Yogurt-lovers are in for a treat, with the thick, creamy, sensual pudding-like yogurt made from water buffalo milk. People who don’t like yogurt because of its tartness or consistency will love this. It’s like dessert! And for the lactose intolerant, and those with other digestive issues, it’s probiotic and easier to digest.The original of just three water buffalo milk creameries in the U.S., the Bufala Di Vermont creamery (a new incarnation of the former Woodstock Water Buffalo Company) is nestled in the green hillsides of South Woodstock, Vermont. It is home to a 100-head herd (“the girls,” as they’re called) that yields an astonishingly rich, thick, sweet milk—the makings of a yogurt that will send you into a starry-eyed trance. You’ll never think of yogurt the same way again.

While water buffalo milk, dairy products and meat have been consumed around the world for thousands of years, perhaps the most familiar product to Americans is the delicious mozzarella di bufala, most of it imported from Italy. Water buffalo, or bufala in Italian, are a completely different species than North American “buffalo,” which are actually bison that were misnamed buffalo by the European immigrants who equated them to Asian water buffalo, an error perpetuated in song (“Home On The Range”) and by the U.S. Treasury (the Buffalo Nickel).

Aside from being two entirely different species, one significant difference between these two animals is that water buffalo is an excellent source of dairy as well as meat, while bison are known for meat only. Water buffalo produce approximately 15% of the world’s milk, primarily in Southeast Asia, South America and Italy.

While “the girls,” those dear, enormous-yet-so-gentle creatures in Vermont, may be far from their native roots in India and Southeast Asia—where buffalo milk is the milk—they’ve made themselves quite at home in Vermont (actually, they’ve adapted well to five different continents).

Bufala di Vermont, which produces only water buffalo products, focuses on yogurt as well as fresh and aged cheeses and specialty meats. All products are all-natural and free of antibiotics, growth hormones. Read the full review in THE NIBBLE magazine